Monthly Archives: April 2013

May 6, 2013 Dr. Patrice Cole discussed stormwater , what are it’s problems and how they can be minimized. Point sources have been controlled fairly well and now sediment from agricultural, construction and other surface runoff are the major large sources of water pollution. Regulatory changes are anticipated – particularly in turbidity measurement and requirements. Dr. Cole discussed working with contractors to minimize disturbing land features during construction and moving toward eliminating most surface runoff by retaining stormwater and allowing it to penetrate the surface and enter the groundwater.

May 13, 2013 Richard Evans , retired former Director of the UT Forest Resources Research and Education Center, spoke about the UT proposed natural gas and oil development research project (fracking). The University of Tennessee plans to allow hydraulic fracturing to

extract natural gas on a state-owned tract of rolling woodland and use the revenue to fund research into the environmental impact of such drilling. The University people seem to think they will have good control and they consider this as a mainly research project. We did not hear the contractor’s expectations.

The May 20, 2013 speaker was Chad Duty, Dr. Duty is a Senior Research Scientist and the Group Leader for the Deposition Science & Technology Group at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
He described the organization and history of ORNL’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility (MDF) which helps industry adopt new manufacturing technologies. The MDF does not produce commercial products. The mission of the MDF is to develop new manufacturing methods and help commercial industries employ them. The most interesting new technology is the 3D printing manufacturing. By laying down thin multiple layers of metal or plastic an object can be built up. The objects that can be made in this manner can be very complex and some objects can be made that could not be assembled if the parts were made by conventional methods. The equipment is expensive and based on a computer image of each individual layer. He had several objects that had been made by 3D printing. One object was an artificial hand. The TSK members who were present were very interested in the technology and they asked Dr. Duty to return and cover other items being made.

Monday meetings

Where - Crowne Plaza on Summit Hill Drive
When - Lunch buffet starts at 11:30 AM
Meeting starts at 11:55
Cost - $13.00
For more information, e-mail us at TechnicalSocietyofKnoxville@gmail.com

The Technical Society of Knoxville and its Mission

The Technical Society of Knoxville is a group of persons interested in technology and science, and their effects on society, and in particular, on the community. The Society was founded in 1921 by Charles E. Ferris, the first dean of the UT College of Engineering and a group of leading members of the community.
The hallmark of the Technical Society is its Monday Luncheon meeting. Every Monday, the program features a speaker on a subject of technical, scientific, or general interest. Forty-four meetings were held in 2009. It is estimated that some 3980 luncheon meetings have been held over the past 90 years. The presentations are planned to be informative and educational, and provide person to person contact with experts in the field. Meetings take place at the Crowne Plaza on Summit Hill Drive in downtown Knoxville. Complimentary self parking is available in the hotel garage. Meeting attendees receive a token for exiting the garage without charge after the meeting. Members and guests begin arriving around 11:30am and go through the buffet line. Cost is $13 per person payable in cash or by check in the meeting room to the designated collector. Meetings are called to order at 11:50. After a brief transaction of Society business, the guest speaker is introduced. Normally, presentations take about 50 minutes. Time is usually available for questions from the audience. The meetings are adjourned at 1:00pm. Some programs are scheduled as professional development hours (PDH) to meet the State of Tennessee’s continuing education requirements for professional engineers. These PDHs consist of at least 50 minutes of prepared presentation with discussion reserved for the time after the meeting. The State Licensing Board does not pre-approve such hours and the TSK does not guarantee approval, but strictly meets the Board-specified requirements and issues a certificate of attendance. Monday meetings are announced in the Saturday’s or Sunday’s Knoxville News Sentinel Business Bulletins. Guests are welcome.
For more information contact the secretary, Bob Scott, at rrscott3@aol.com or 865-690-0705.